This NL $400 game looked juicy, with a very high average vpip, so I sat down with a $100 stack and have managed to build it up to $225. I normally don't play above

The Fish is the player in the SB this hand. He's running at about 80/30. He's pretty much called every raise I've made, and I've made some money off him but also lost a chunk when I rivered a set which also happened to fill his gutshot, and I payed off a big raise. Of course he has a huge stack, $1000+. He bets and calls very liberally post flop.

The gallery of villains is as follows:

UTG: 30/18, small sample size but he seems like a good winning LAG, has played well post flop as far as I have seen (good bet sizing, nice value bets etc). ~$450

CO: Very tight shortstacker with $91.

Button: Yours truly. My image is probably tight. $225 behind.

SB: The Fish. $1000+ stack.

BB: Looks like a standard TAG, at 23/7 so far but small sample size. ~$450


UTG raises to $14, which is a standard opening raise here. The tight shortstack folds and I am on the button with TT.

I will usually re-raise TT but here I opted for a flat call for a couple of reasons:

1. UTG is a good player, and even though he is rather loose, he's opening from UTG so it should be the tightest part of his range. He definetely understands position.

2. So far the fish has called raises pretty indiscriminately, but has folded everytime it is been re-raised when it gets to him. I don't want to shut the worst player out and isolate the best player. If I re-raise I will either win $20 right now or play against the top range of the LAG, or have to fold if he comes over the top, losing $40 or so (If he pushes I am flipping at best).

So I call, and of course the Fish calls as well. BB also comes along, but with those pot odds and closing the action I don't think that says much about his hand. He could have a SC, PP or face cards. Probably not JJ+ or AQ/AK.

So four people to the flop which comes: [2s][3s]

Fish leads for $35 into the $56 pot, both BB and UTG fold quickly and the action is on me.

His range is pretty wide in my opinion. He probably doesn't have a monster (when he hit trips/quads earlier he checked every street), so not a set or made straight, probably not a two-pair (although 42 etc is definetely in his preflop calling range, 80% remember).

I would think he has either a one pair hand or a draw, or a combination thereof. 54, A3, a flush draw, a single 5... as I said, a very wide range.

I decide to call and see a safe turn before I committ, so I call the $36.

Turn comes the , so the board is now [2s][3s][Kd] and the pot is $126.

He bets $35 again.

I really don't think that off suit K changed anything, it is very unlikely to have hit him unless he was betting something like [Js]. And when he bets the same as on the flop that is a sign of weakness to me. Either he has a draw and wants to draw cheap, or he has a one-pair hand that is looking weaker and weaker.

It's $35 to me, making the pot $161 and I have $176 behind. I push, making it $141 for him to call.

If he is thinking about what I have, he probably puts me on a flush draw and thinks I decided to bluff the scare card, putting him on a small pair. Of course that is assuming he is actually thinking about what I have etc. Either way I don't want to let him draw cheap and there are a lot of scary cards that can come on the river, either beating me, allowing him to bluff me, or meaning he won't pay me off if I am still ahead. So I push.


I feel all streets are open to discussion and that there are many ways to play this hand, which way is right?

100% raise flop vs. villain. He'll bet/call with A7o.